The if statement is a foundational tool in Python that allows us to make decisions in our code.

Let's break down the key components of the if statement syntax:

• Keywordif: this keyword begins the conditional statement. Remember, it is case-sensitive—using If instead of if will cause an error;

• Condition: the condition is an expression that evaluates to True or False. In this example, we check if a variable meets a certain requirement;

• Colon:: the colon signals that the following indented block belongs to the if statement;

• Indented Code Block: this block contains the code that runs only if the condition is True.

Example 1: Standard Execution

Explanation

1. The conditionsteps_taken < step_goal checks if the number of steps taken is less than the daily goal;

2. If the condition is True, the code inside the if block is executed;

3. The message uses an f-string to dynamically include the number of steps remaining, making the output user-friendly and precise.

Example 2: When Nothing Executed

In this case, the condition steps_taken < step_goal evaluates to False because steps_taken is equal to step_goal. Since the condition is not met, the code block inside the if statement is not executed, and nothing is printed to the console. This demonstrates that the code only runs when the condition evaluates to True.

The image depicts the flow of an if statement:

• Condition Check: the program evaluates whether the condition is True or False;

• Execution: if the condition is True, the indented code block runs. Otherwise, the program skips it.